Three top-notch collections with prestigious provenance headline RSL Auction’s Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15, sale of still banks plus select clockwork, tin and cast-iron toys and mechanical banks. Titled “Spectacular Stills: The Collections of Ralph Dye, Tom Kellogg and Tim Steckbeck,” the approximately 1,000-lot auction jointly represents 110-plus years of active collecting.
“The name value in this sale tells bidders everything they need to know,” said RSL partner Ray Haradin. “Most of the still banks were previously in the collection of Ralph Dye, a judge from McConnellsville, Ohio, who was a founding member of the Still Bank Collectors Club of America. Ralph was a very advanced collector who entered the hobby in the 1960s. He always focused on early banks of extreme rarity, and to find the best examples, he traveled extensively and attended countless auctions.”
Before he passed away, Ralph Dye sold his banks to a fellow collector, who now has consigned 300 of the banks formerly owned by Dye – nearly the entire collection – to RSL.
The second of three featured collections in the October sale is a 200-lot assemblage of beautiful still banks consigned by Tom Kellogg. “Tom is another collector who goes for rarity and has a fantastic eye for spotting it. He became interested in banks in the 1980s, and his collection is distinguished by its many exceptional architectural banks,” said Haradin.
The name “Steckbeck” is considered royalty in the bank-collecting world. The third featured collection – the still banks of Tim Steckbeck of Scottsdale, Ariz., adds gilt-edged quality to the auction triumvirate. Tim is the son of Stephen and Marilyn Steckbeck, whose mechanical bank collection made headlines around the world when it was auctioned in 2007. “While Steve was building his mechanical bank collection, Tim would go along with his father to auctions and shows. He quietly put together his own still bank collection, mostly during the 1980s and ’90s,” said Haradin. “Now it’s Tim’s turn to showcase his great collection of around 100 stills, all of which are in exemplary condition.”
There are so many rare and unusual discoveries in the selection of banks with Dye provenance, it’s challenging to predict which will rise highest during the auction competition, but there is already interest in a pair of Rocking Chair banks. The standard version of the bank is estimated at $2,000-$3,000, but a previously unknown larger variation, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in existence, could reach $4,000-$6,000.
The Saturday session opens with one of Tim Steckbeck’s top prizes, a large, one-of-a-kind Saddle Horse on Wheeled Base. This rare equine beauty, which was chosen by Haradin and his business partners, Steven and Leon Weiss, to grace the cover of RSL’s auction catalog, was made by the revered Connecticut firm Ives, Blakeslee & Co. The bank has survived the test of time in pristine condition and is expected to make $25,000-$35,000 at auction.
Steckbeck’s collection was also the source of a beautifully polychrome-painted Ives Santa bank with removable Christmas tree. The perennial gift-giver clutches a variety of toys and boasts exquisite paint detail and highlights. It is entered with a $12,000-$18,000 estimate.
A rare Boston State House bank, while small in size, is very desirable to collectors. A pristine example of this wonderful bank, with provenance from the Tom Kellogg collection, is estimated at $14,000-$18,000.
Spelter banks, which have captured collectors’ attention in recent years, continue to increase in value. Of the grouping offered in RSL’s sale, a solid highlight is the standing Prussian Officer, estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
There are some extremely high-condition cast-iron mechanical banks waiting in the wings for collectors. One of the top-estimated mechanicals in the sale is the finest of all known examples of The National Bank. Painted white with blue and red trim, and with a bank teller visible through a front window, this coveted bank could pay off to the tune of $50,000-$70,000.
A superb U.S. and Spain bank, which pits an American military cannon against a colorful Spanish ship, could sail into favorable bidding waters with its $40,000-$50,000 estimate.
An elusive Camera semi-mechanical bank depicting an old-fashioned model on tripod could snap up a winning bid of $9,000-$12,000.
The parade of early American toys is led by one of only two known Ives articulated Horse and Rider pull toys. When in motion, the toy cleverly replicates the action of a jockey bobbing atop a galloping horse. The estimate will be $20,000-$30,000.
Another iconic Ives toy is the clockwork tin “Hook Behind,” designed as a horse-drawn carriage with the figure of a seated woman inside and the figure of a boy hooked behind the vehicle. Marketed around 1880 with a retail price of $5, its auction estimate is $20,000-$30,000.
High-quality cast-iron automotive toys include a Pickwick Nite Coach bus of unusual size and styling, an open-top double-decker touring bus, and several cabs finished in appealing but seldom-seen color schemes.
The Friday, Oct. 14, session will begin at noon Eastern Time, while the Saturday, Oct. 15, session will commence at 10 a.m. The preview will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as prior to commencement on both auction sessions. A complimentary light lunch and beverages will be offered to auction guests, and a reception and dinner will be hosted by RSL at an Italian restaurant immediately following the Friday session.
 A separate catalog has been published for each of the two sessions. They are available as a pair for $50 postpaid ($60 international). To view the fully illustrated catalog online, visit www.rslauctionco.com or www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. The RSL Auction gallery is located at 295 U.S. Hwy. 22 East, Suite 204 West, Whitehouse Station, N.J. Watch for the “One Salem Square” sign. To contact the gallery, call 908-823-4049.
For additional information on any item in the sale or to organize a phone line for bidding, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733, Leon Weiss at 917-991-7352, or Steven Weiss at 212-729-0011.
All images courtesy of RSL Auction Co.